


Rocky Mountain High

by rangerhitomi



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), First Kiss, Hiking, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 10:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3892786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangerhitomi/pseuds/rangerhitomi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shark and Yuma go camping in the mountains and when Shark gets a little too cold, Yuma warms him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rocky Mountain High

They’d been wandering through the forest path for hours, but Yuma showed no signs of being ready to stop, nor did he seem tired despite carting around a heavy pack with the tent, his sleeping bag, and some provisions. Shark’s shoulders were aching from the weight on his back and his legs were lead weights from trekking uphill for so long.

“Yuma,” he managed, leaning his hands on his knees, “are we almost there?”

Yuma turned to him and raised his eyebrows. “Are you tired?”

 _Duh._  “Yuma, we’ve been going straight uphill for five hours. Unlike you, we’re not all made of…” He trailed off, deliberately not letting his eyes linger on Yuma’s toned body. Adolescence had been kind to Yuma; he was a good two inches taller than Shark now ( _and it’s not as though I’m not tall_ , he reminded himself, because he was taller than Kaito now), and he had spent every summer throughout high school camping and mountain climbing with his dad. It showed, and it almost unnerved Shark just how much like Kazuma he’d become physically, down to the scruffy facial hair Yuma got when he didn’t shave for more than three days. Where Yuma had become tall and muscular these past five years, Shark remained moderately tall and lanky.

Yuma lifted an eyebrow. “We’re not all what?”

“Are we almost there?” Shark repeated stubbornly. He’d kept his mouth shut and his thoughts on other things as far as his longtime crush on Yuma went, but he wondered just how obvious it seemed now that Yuma was eighteen and more aware of himself. Yuma had dated a few girls in high school, and Shark had tried, but he found himself not at all interested. He’d thought it would go away with time, but the older they got and the more they did together…

“Well, it’s another half mile or so.” Yuma pointed. “But we can set up camp next time we hit a flat point if you’re tired.” He gave Shark a sly grin that made Shark scowl.

“It’s only half a mile. I can make it.”

He wondered exactly what it was about this particular camping spot that made Yuma so excited, and why it was worth hiking five miles straight uphill to get to it; the higher they climbed, the colder it got, and Shark was suddenly aware that Yuma’s body would probably be a lot warmer than his tonight.

He stumbled a bit, and Yuma caught his hand. He was embarrassed; Yuma was carrying the heavier pack  _and_ he was dragging Shark up the mountain. But he let Yuma pull him along because it was easier on his legs to have something to hold onto.

With about an hour to sunset, Yuma pulled Shark onto a flat ledge and held out his arms. “Here we are!”

Shark wondered at first whether any view this spot might have to offer was worth that grueling trek (he winced at the thought of what the return trip straight downhill was going to do to his knees) but the sight of the weak, late afternoon sun hovering over the snow-capped peaks in the distance, reflecting like diamonds, caught his breath.

Yuma dropped his pack and began unraveling the tent. “We should set up before the sun sets. Here.”

Shark took one end of the tent and helped Yuma hammer in the stakes with a flat, heavy rock lying nearby. In almost no time at all, Yuma had propped the tent up and checked for leaks. Satisfied, he started collecting stones. “Hey Shark, can you grab some wood?” He gestured at the treeline a few dozen yards off. “I’m gonna get a fire going.”

Shark nodded and wandered toward the trees, noting the temperature dropping with each step. He was getting cold; late fall was probably not the best time to have decided to go camping with Yuma, but he had precious little opportunity to get away like this, with just the two of them, uninterrupted by his sister or Yuma’s friends who always seemed to show up when Shark wanted to have some (admittedly selfish) alone time.

He gathered a large armful of dry logs and large sticks and fumbled his way over the uneven ground back to Yuma, who had made a fire pit and had a small pile of cotton balls in the center as he struck a flint.

“What are those for?”

Yuma glanced up. “Vaseline-soaked cotton balls. They work really well as firestarters. Here, wanna try?”

He held out the flint. Shark grimaced. He’d never started a fire before – well, not without matches or a lighter – but he took the proffered flint and started rubbing them together.

Yuma laughed and reached out, grabbing Shark’s hands. “You’re doing it wrong. Here.”

Shark couldn’t fight the warmth in his face but fortunately, Yuma didn’t notice in his efforts to help Shark light a spark. The warm red glow the sun cast over the mountains seemed to help, too. Finally, a few sparks caught the cotton balls, which ignited. To Shark’s surprise, the jelly burned slowly, giving Yuma plenty of time to set up some of the wood around it. Before too long, they had a small fire going.

Yuma settled back and smiled, reaching his hands out. “Dad used to take me up here as a kid. This was where he told me about the Astral World, and the Barian World. One world without hope… one with romance and adventure.” He gave Shark a warm smile.

 _What am I supposed to say to that?_ Shark held his cold hands out in front of the fire and began warming them. “We… brought hope back to both of them.” He didn’t like thinking about his time as the leader of the Barians. He didn’t regret trying to save the thousands of souls in Barian World, and he would do it again, but it had been hard to let go of Yuma. Even if Yuma had welcomed him back without reservation.

“And now our world can be full of adventure…” Yuma reached over and took Shark’s hand again. “Your hands are really cold. I noticed that earlier.”

“Yeah, well.” Shark stared intently at the fire. “They do that.”

Yuma let out a quiet laugh. It was low and throaty and made Shark’s stomach tighten uncomfortably. “Here.” He pulled a blanket from his pack and tossed it around his own shoulders before scooting closer to Shark on the rocky ground. He extended the blanket to Shark, who gratefully accepted it. He was cold, and it was getting colder the farther down the sun fell, and every one of his stupid nineteen-year-old hormones screamed their approval at the way Yuma pressed his body closer to Shark’s and took Shark’s hand again.

He wanted to say something,  _anything_ , but nothing he thought of seemed like a good idea. He still didn’t understand why Yuma had brought up the _romance and adventure_  the Barian World would provide him and he didn’t want to get his hopes up, because  _he_ was the one with the stupid crush that he’d had since the WDC when he was fourteen, and Yuma deserved someone better than the second reincarnation of a long-dead king.

Yuma’s wind-chapped lips brushed his cheek and his hand clenched involuntarily in Yuma’s as a spike of something…  _weird_  flashed through his body. “Romance and adventure await,” Yuma sighed, his breath warm on Shark’s red face. “That’s what dad said. I think I’ve had enough adventure for a while, haven’t you?”

Shark couldn’t trust himself to speak. The moment he turned his head to look at Yuma, Yuma had leaned closer to give him another kiss on the cheek and ended up brushing their lips together instead. Shark whined a little – he was caught by surprise, he told himself through his frantic thoughts – but Yuma didn’t pull back.

Yuma let go of Shark’s hand and lifted it to cup Shark’s face, and Shark placed his hand on the back of Yuma’s neck, and their lips pressed together more firmly as they kissed in the light of the dying sun on the top of a cold mountaintop that felt suddenly warm. 


End file.
